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[Verse 1: AWKWORD]
Thank you, mommy, I try to say the words calmly
But I'm a little too sensitive, you helped make me an anomaly
I cry on your shoulder, put my head in your lap
Think of all the fun we had, and how we’ll never get it back
The sound of your laugh, feel of your hand on my back
Hiking through the woods, eating the lunch that we packed
My biggest fan in the crowd, I'm still watching you clap
You're the angel on my shoulder, pushing me back to the track
I would have thought that'd be enough, for you to be saved
Maybe God wants a golf course, on that land that you saved
Most little girls, they dream about guys with Porsches
You stared up at the ceiling imagining caring for horses
Most popular chick, growing up, just like my sister
You will always live on, in her voice, I hear your whisper

[Verse 2]
Thank you, mommy, for all the songs you've sung softly
You put me to sleep, something now I do hardly
Plus, also, think about it, you made me an emcee
Kind of awesome actually, you raised me creatively
You are my salve, my rock, you never give up
I was a whole lot of trouble, pissed off, with bad luck
You never got embarrassed, when I dressed like a punk
Now you always check my status, hoping that I’m not drunk
Mom, you created a beast, artists think for themselves
Now I thank my lucky stars I'm at home while you’re not well
I'd forever hate myself if I turned to music and shrank
I know it's near the end now, I need a billion bars to thank
You inspired me to act, you taught me how to think
You showed me the arts, you see beauty in everything

[Hook]

[Verse 3]
Thank you, mommy, for all the truths you taught me
In any conflict, I’ll always think about my mommy
But it's time to man up now, mom I'm scared
You were the person I fully knew, who’d always be there
I can picture myself now, rooftop, screaming in the dark
I can't imagine living a single minute without my heart
But I promise to go on, for you and my seeds
I promise to watch my money, and stay away from all that greed
I promise to support pops, with anything he needs
And my best friend, your daughter and me, we're holding down the tree
Plus your sister, together, reminiscing about your grace
Passing pictures around like kids, lovingly study your face
We suffer now, cause we all lost like 30 years
But mom, that's 60-plus years of greatness better than your peers

[Hook]

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‘Thank you, mommy, I try to say the words calmly /
But I’m a little too sensitive, you helped make me an anomaly /
I cry on your shoulder, put my head in your lap /
Think of all the fun we had, and how we’ll never get it back’

I wrote and recorded “Thank You (A Tribute To My Mommy)” in honor of my perfect mother, who died ½/12, before she even reached 60. She was smiling and beautiful, even in her last moments.

I wrote this song sitting beside my mom, as she stared at death — with grace, as she did everything in her life. Without my mother, I wouldn’t be here today. And thanks to my mother, I never shied away from expressing myself through the arts. “Thank You” is the most personal song I’ve released to date, and for me it’s the most important. My #WorstMemoryof2011 was learning we’d run out of options. My #BestMemoryof2011 was witnessing my mom’s expression as she listened to her tribute song and watched the accompanying slideshow.

To me, this song demonstrates the positive power of Hip Hop — this is why I do what I do. And rightfully, “A Tribute To My Mommy” will appear on my 100% for-charity album World View, dropping in 2012. Yet, I can’t help but think my tribute only barely touches the surface in capturing all that my mother means and has meant to the people in her life and the plants, animals and insects all around her. World-Famous Mother, Wife, Daughter, Sister, Social Worker, Chef, Singer, Swimmer, Activist, Artist, Gardener, Birder and Dog/Horse Whisperer. The only person I’ve ever know who practices what she preaches, adheres always to morality, and even challenges my theory that there is no true form of altruism.

In her honor, as her son, as someone who always admired — and was often in awe of — her, I present this song to my family, friends and fans, as well as to all those who have ever lost someone (especially due to cancer and metastatic breast cancer) they love, undoubtedly too early.